I drew a line for you
by findingfireflies
Summary: After nearly ten years after the events of teen wolf season two, Jackson Whittemore returns to Beacon Hills ready to fulfill a promise he made to the girl he loved. Meanwhile Lydia Martin engaged to Stiles Stilinski, chases after the ghost of the boy that has consumed her whole since before she knew what love was.


After her youngest daughter Lydia had left for college, James and Elizabeth Martin sought a clean break. No longer wanting to associate with each other they decided once and for all to break all ties starting with the house. All the preparations had been made the old red house emptied of all possessions and mementos the family of four had accumulated over the years and discarded. James left Beacon Hills following his daughters out of town while Elizabeth found a small apartment within the confines of the small town. Whether it was just bad luck or the fact that the market was still in recession but in the last ten years no one had made an offer on the place. Elizabeth had tried of course using her connections to show the place to potential buyers but they seemed to all agree that although the house was beautiful it was a tad too expensive for their liking. Eventually two years in, Elizabeth met a young optometrist and the house fell to the bottom of her list of priorities.

The house itself ignored and long abandoned fell into a state of disrepair. The abode red paint was chipped revealing the bare alabaster wood, the wild emerald ivy covered the pallid face of the house, and the shutters hung loose threatening to fall on some wayward passerby or the neighbor's nosy cat. At this point Elizabeth sought to sell the land and tear the house down. Nearly ten years had passed since she had heard from her ex husband, her oldest daughter Jessica was married with a life of her own, that left Lydia. When Elizabeth had called the girl to share her plans she was met with silence and a click of the girl's tongue a signaled Lydia's clear disapproval. Other than that nothing else was said and Lydia made some excuse to leave, her voice heavy and the sound of emotion in her voice as if she was about to cry. She hadn't heard from the girl weeks since then and figured that Lydia didn't care and it was a moment of weakness.

It was a day before the demolition, and Elizabeth was enjoying a cup of tea. Her old life a mere shadow slowly slipping away from existence. Soon the house would be tore down the land barren and clear. To her it was a signal of a fresh start. A smile appeared on her lips as she looked down at a picture of her new love, it had been so long since she had felt this way; it was as if she had gotten a second chance at love a chance most people did not get. It was then that she heard the soft chime of her doorbell and her eyes flitted to the clock it was nearly eleven. Elizabeth had a half a mind to ignore it and head into bed but instead she warily walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. The fogged impression of a dark haired man appeared to her. She knew his face anywhere, when he was a young boy he would pout at her for another one of her peanut butter cookies using those same bright blue eyes. But he had left Beacon Hills just a young man and now ten years later she had no idea what he was doing here of all places. Still Elizabeth opened the door and gave him a small courteous smile.

"Jackson, what a surprise. How have you been?" she stepped forward and embraced him and he returned it along with an easy smile that revealed the boyish dimples on his handsome face.

"I've been doing alright Mrs. Martin. Mother told me of the news of the engagement Congratulations," he offered as he stepped through the threshold. Elizabeth nodded with a good-natured grin as she gestured for him to sit down.

"Yes it was a bit of a shock to us when Lydia told us out of the blue but you know how she's always had a mind of her own and please call me Beth…your Mother has told me some great things about you too. A major in the army, that's quite an accomplishment. I thought you were deployed in active combat"

"I was" Jackson replied coolly. He sat back on the couch as Elizabeth examined him closely. He was clearly not the boy of seventeen she had last glimpsed at when he had moved away from Beacon Hills. He was taller, muscular, and his face had aged both with time and what she suspected was the war. From what Susan Whittemore had told her, Jackson had enlisted in the army shortly after he abandoned law school and had been silent for almost four years before returning back to the Whittemore's London home a completely changed man. According to Susan, most of the time he spent cooped up in his room with pen and paper as he tried to write frantic letters. The doctors said it was just a manifestation of post traumatic stress disorder but it hurt her heart to see a young man with Jackson's potential shrivel away to nothingness like this. However if he never left the house, she wondered what exactly he was doing here miles from home.

"Well I'm glad you decided to come visit, if you want I can see if I can ring up Lydia she usually works pretty late hours at the hospital"

"That won't be necessary, I came to see you, Mrs. Ma- Beth" Elizabeth sat up a little straighter as Jackson reached into the pocket of his faded blue jeans and withdrew a newspaper clipping at least a few years old. It was an old for sale ad she had put in the newspaper. "Is the house still up for sale?" he asked.

Elizabeth looked at him bewildered, "Jackson, the house is in no state to be lived in, it's old and falling apart. In fact I'm tearing it down tomorrow. If you want I can—"

"With all due respect _Beth, _I would really like to buy that house money isn't really an object, name your price"

At these words Elizabeth looked a bit affronted. Did he really think he could barge in here at the last second and stop the plans she had been making for weeks and weeks? However Beth cleared her throat and covered up her look of disapproval with one of a simpering smile as she reached over and took his hand. "And what exactly do you want to do with the house Jackson?"

Jackson drew away his hand from her's leaning back and folding his arms as he returned her painted smile with an artificial smile of his own, "I thought that was fairly obvious I intend to fix it up"

Lydia Martin couldn't quite believe it. Today was the night of her Wedding shower yet she was sitting in the bathroom staring at the front page of some dingy old local newspaper. It had been a few weeks since her mother had shared that the plans she had made to tear down the house had gone awry as a buyer was interested in renovating the place from scratch. Lydia had been very thankful of the mystery buyer at the time, she had not supported the idea of her childhood home demolished and a part of her wanted to buy the house herself. But given that she was only a meager third year medical intern that lived halfway across the country that would have been a near impossibility. But now all she felt was a sinking sensation at the pit of her stomach. She had happened upon the article almost accidently, her mother had wrapped some of her old toys in the Beacon Hills Daily newspaper and on the front page was the article about the miraculous one-man renovation of the old Martin house. As her soft green eyes took in the words on the page her mind went to a frenzy. Jackson Whittemore had consumed her thoughts almost on a daily basis since he had left Beacon Hills ten years ago, no matter what she did, whom she slept with, or how far she ran he always surrounded her. And now just a mere fortnight before her wedding he appeared again, this time not as a dream, or a memory, but as flesh and blood.

A soft knock at the door, awakened Lydia from her reverie and she wiped her eyes quickly stowing away the article in the pocket of her skirt as she opened the door to see her fiancé. Lydia had known Stiles Stilinski since she was an infant and he had always been good to her. When the two had come out east and attended universities not far from one another their friendship grew to admiration, which grew into its own sort of love. She did love him, and given time she figured she could fall in love with him. He was not a werewolf, he was uncomplicated, he had a good job, he got on well with her family, and most important of all he had always been frank about his feelings for her. That gave her a sense of security she had rarely felt in her life what with her parent's turbulent marriage and her affair with a murderous werewolf named Aiden during her high school and college years. Then there was Jackson, her first love and for all intents and purposes the one that had gotten away.

"You okay, Lydia? You just rushed off to the bathroom, your sister called me to make sure you were okay." Stiles looked at her concerned before he kissed her forehead gently and Lydia nodded.

"Yeah, just pre wedding jitters I suppose. I was unwrapping some things my mom sent me and it made me realize I haven't been back home in ages. I miss her"

"There's still a few weeks before the wedding, maybe you should go visit her for awhile" Stiles suggested tenderly moving a strand of red hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"I think that's best actually. I can meet her new boyfriend too and gather up some last minute things for the wedding"

"Sounds great, if you want I can come with you"

"Don't be ridiculous, you're working on the Mattson Mystery you can't abandon work like that. I'll be fine. I'm going home anyways. I think I'll take a flight out tonight. I'm not really in a wedding shower mood." Stiles nodded at her words agreeing. He worked for the Chicago Police Force and his job was his life as her's was. They barely saw each other but they understood the need to go forward in life, which was why their relationship was simple. They knew how the other worked and that was why they rarely ever fought.

"All right, alright, but promise me you'll call me first thing when you land" Stiles added leaning on the door frame his kind brown eyes looking her way. Age had treated Stiles well; he grew out his dark hair and he had gone from cute and awkward to a tall, lean slightly muscular man filled with charm and charisma that had no trouble getting girls in college and after. When he had asked her out two years ago, she couldn't refuse and it was a decision she was glad she had made.

Lydia walked over, wrapping her arms around him as she pecked his lips softly. "I promise I won't stray far"


End file.
